Making Peace
by Guy who may like dragons
Summary: Modern twist/re-imagining/AU of HTTYD. Mankind is at war with dragons. Hickory Haddock, a.k.a. Hiccup the horrendous is at the forefront of this conflict. A sad excuse for a soldier who will find himself stranded in the wilderness with a choice. Role-reversals and other fun stuff galore, come have a read. Will be somewhat dark at times.


**AN**

**Disclaimer:** I neither own Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon nor the works of Cressida Cowell.

**Warnings: **Some blood and dark themes.

**Rating: **A solid T (maybe a big T = 15+)

**Genre: **Fantasy and ehm, hurt/comfort? Angst maybe? Action? Maybe some friendship thrown into the mix? We'll have to see.

So this is a plot bunny that has stuck with me for a really long time. I've always liked the idea of dragons in a modern setting, since it makes you think you could look out the window and see one. **But do not fret, this will not be a story brimming with military terms. **But as it this far mainly is a plot bunny, I'm not sure if this story is worth writing so I would appreciate some feedback.

The story will be reversing roles in some events of the first movie, while also keeping some scenes and occasionally completely deviating from the plot/adding to it, to elaborate on a certain condition or relation. Basically you might not see a pattern with how I write the story, but attentive readers might see what I allude to here and there. Also I'm not sure about how much everyone will be in character, but know that Hiccup has been a bully victim for a few more years compared to the movie and Toothless, well, his traits might be stronger, in addition to a big alteration to the dragons.

Lastly, I need to add that this might be the darkest story (the story with the darkest scenes) I've ever written, so I might unintentionally overdramatize some warnings, or not.

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**Ch 1 – All alone?**

The helicopter roared, almost blocking out the high pitch screams of the different warning systems. They had been hit and they were going to crash, Hiccup knew that much, but everything else was a blur. Another roar was heard, this one coming from something other than the helicopter entirely. Then the helicopter shook once more. Another hit. Before he knew it the chopper was spinning out of control.

Hiccup was slung into to the opposite wall, ironically clad with parachutes he couldn't grasp. Then he was back in his chair again, and the next second slammed headfirst into a wall. But, then he was in free air.

For a brief moment he saw the sky. A few clouds sailed across it and the sun, given time, would have given him warmth. How could such a day be so cruel? The next he knew he was falling through the branches of a pine tree. Loud cracks were heard through the forest as he fell, but Hiccup heard nothing of it. All he heard was a ringing noise. Then he hit the ground.

The first feeling Hiccup felt was warmth. The rays of the sun had found his face and offered a stark contrast to the chilling air. A pool was gathering under his head, equally warm. Then he felt the pain. He tried to scream, but only managed a gasp for air. The air had been knocked out of him, and he needed it back.

The pain didn't fade and the pool beneath his head kept growing. A lesson of old came to his mind, and he ripped a good bit of fabric from his shirt. He remembered that a man with a cheery voice had instructed them about improvised bandages, but he could neither remember his face nor his name. Wincing with pain he tried to be quick with the bandage for his head. His ribs protested. His muscles and his nausea did likewise.

When he finished with his head he was close to collapsing. While doing his best to control his breathing, he tried to register his surroundings. There where trees all around him, which wasn't a surprise, and the ground was clad in moss, interrupted by the occasional game trail or shrubbery. Game trails were always deceitful; easily tricking you into believing it a manmade path that will lead you to civilization and salvation, but then it disappears.

He had to get up, find shelter. Dragons might be the biggest and scariest threat around, but there were plenty of things that could kill you in a forest. Especially at night. With that thought in mind he reached for the trunk of the tree that had cushioned his fall. The bark was rough beneath his fingers and peeled away somewhat at his touch, revealing tree resin sticking to his palm.

At first it wasn't all that bad. His right leg responded well to his weight, but as soon as he tried to stabilize himself with his left leg he was stabbed with a jolt of pain. The leg buckled under him, and this time he had air to scream. When the pain had faded to a throb his breathing was rapid. He had to try again if he wished to live.

Once again he reached for the tree trunk and rose agonizingly slowly, intent on letting his left leg hang limp. When he finally stood upright, he allowed himself to rest. There were furrows in the bark and a matching set of small tears in the skin of his hand. Then he realized something.

_Great, do I have to jump through this forest on one leg?_ He thought. Looking around for a solution he saw a fallen tree branch, still clad in dark green pine needles, only a few skips away. Somehow he managed to jump his way to the branch, to then pick it up and start removing the smaller connected branches with his knife, the only weapon he had ever been entrusted with. The freshly fallen material was hard to saw through, but at least he was surrounded by the not too unpleasant smell of pine.

The smell brought him blurred memories from when he had walked through the forest around his childhood home, and how shadows flashed across the sky. He couldn't remember if the shadows belonged to dragons or planes, but he remembered that he never told his dad about his ventures. When he was finished he stood with something like a crutch in his hands, which he could place beneath his left shoulder to awkwardly skimp ahead.

He decided to follow a game trail against his better judgment, but it would probably at least lead him to water. His steps took a steady, albeit slow, rhythm but it was also accompanied by jolts of pain with every step. Trying to distract himself he thought about the one thing that eluded him. Why was he here? He knew that he had been repositioned because of his continuous hiccups. The farthest, most out of reach outpost might have been a good way to counter his mishaps, but why had they flown through almost uncharted areas with unknown dragon activity. Had someone wanted him gone?

Maybe he couldn't blame them, the lost ammunition crates might have been a big enough issue, but after the burnt down barrack he would have wanted himself gone. Everything he did was a horrendous hiccup. Perhaps except the crutch he was using, but then again it would probably hurt someone in the future. _Somehow, _he sighed.

Too intent on his own thoughts and avoiding the occasional root in his path, he missed seeing the newly broken trees and was then surprised when he stepped into a clearing. The afternoon sun blinded him, but soon he started seeing a black shape in the middle of the clearing. At first it seemed like an odd boulder. Then it seemed like a boulder with ropes around it. And then, it seemed like a body with head, limbs and wings encased in rope. He gasped. _A dragon. _

Any proper soldier would have grabbed his knife and gone in for the kill, so that's what he did. Although maybe fate would smile upon him, and the beast would already be dead… _Fat chance,_ he thought, when had he ever been lucky. He limped closer and poked the dragon with his crutch. His bad luck was then confirmed when the dragon tried to move, straining against its bonds. He would have to kill it.

When he was younger he had been dreaming about killing a dragon. Dreaming about making his father, the high ranking officer, proud of him. But at some point he had realized that he wasn't a killer. And now he would have to make his first kill, alone, injured and frightened. He inched his way closer to its head, or its neck to be more precise. He grabbed his knife preparing to strike. Then the dragon opened its eyes, and toxic green met his own. He froze.

Dragons are soulless and mindless killers, void of any emotion. That's what he had been told. It was false. The eyes of the dragon in front of him were enough proof. It too was scarred… alone and injured. He tried to force himself to strike. But he couldn't. He backed away and sat down, or rather fell down unto his rump. Unpleasant thoughts filled his mind while thinking about his options.

Either he took the dragons life, and waited until hypothermia or wolves killed him. Then none of them would survive. Or he could leave the dragon, rendering the same result. But maybe he didn't want to wait for the hypothermia.

He rose painstakingly, and approached the dragon once more. This time he didn't head for the neck, but instead the ropes. Resting on his good leg he started cutting the ropes. He did his best not to think about anything, and then the ropes slackened. The dragon pounced, pinning him to the ground.

Stiff with horror he met the eyes of the dragon. It wasn't frightened anymore. It was in control now. Hiccup knew it all was about to end. He closed his eyes, and let his head fall to the side in resignation. Then he waited. And waited.

But his end never came. Instead he felt something position itself under his back, raising him to a sitting position, while a head nuzzled into his neck. Was the dragon embracing him? Hugging him? _I'm dead._ That was the only explanation, although he had expected his pain to end when he died. The touch removed itself and Hiccup opened his eyes.

The dragon was only a step away. Its head was tilted, and it looked at him like a child seeing something for the first time. This was just great. For a short moment he had thought that his pain would end, but instead the dragon chose to turn all he knew upside down. It had shown him mercy. Or maybe it was intelligent enough to know that a death by dragon would have been merciful and simply wanted to condemn him to the fate that awaited him after sunset.

He could see in his mind how he would do his best to run in panic, a full moon illuminating the sky and his lip and limbs blue and stiff from the cold. Then without much effort a pack of wolves would catch up to him. They would knock him down and relish in the taste of his blood as their jaws closed around him… All because the dragon wouldn't show him the pity of ending his life.

A voice interrupted his grim thoughts. _"No."_

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**AN**

So what did you think? Please leave me a review and tell me. I really want to improve my writing so any constructive criticism is very appreciated.

I hope you don't mind the chapter length since I generally go with the shorter length for more frequent updates, or any updates when I get a lot on my is so much I would like to say, but I'll let you speak now.

'Til next time


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